So if Irving is essentially off the market, how does that leave the free-agent-to-be crop of guards?

Pretty well off actually.

1. Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves — Player Option

Jimmy Butler has some things to sort out before he even has a shot at free agency but, with Irving gone, he will lead a talented group of guards into their respective contract years. While he has a player option on his contract, the four-time All-Star is expected to opt-out and cash in next July.

Butler averaged an impressive 22.2 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and two steals, all while leading Minnesota to their first playoff action in 14 seasons. And, while he once again logged heavy minutes under the watch of Tom Thibodeau, Butler, 29, and his body should hold up assuming future management provides him with adequate rest.

2. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets — Unrestricted

Cardiac Kemba has languished in the Eastern Conference basement for too long.

Kemba Walker has proclaimed his love for the Charlotte Hornets and the city of Charlotte on multiple occasions. But, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension before then, Walker won’t lack for suitors come next July. There are more than a few teams that would pay through the nose for a lead guard of Walker’s caliber. And while no team could match Charlotte in terms of pure contract value, other teams could give him a real shot at the postseason, something the Hornets have failed to provide Walker for the majority of his tenure with the team.

Regardless of his landing spot, Walker, like Butler, should cash in after he averaged 22.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game while making his second straight All-Star appearance last season.

3. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors — Unrestricted

Just seven years into his career, Klay Thompson is already one of the most prolific shooters the NBA has ever seen. While he is oft-overshadowed by his game-breaking teammates, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, Thomspon has actually shot at a better percentage than the two of them from three-point range since Durant arrived in Oakland two seasons ago.

So if his play hasn’t made it obvious enough, Thompson, who posted a line of 20 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while playing elite defense last season, is more than capable of being the No. 1 option for any team.

Thompson has communicated his desire to remain with the Golden State Warriors beyond next season, but striking the balance between allegiance to the team that drafted him and further securing his financial future could be difficult given the Warriors’ salary cap situation. At just 27-years-old, Thompson could elect to remain with the Warriors on a short-term agreement before breaking off on his own, still in his prime and able to sign a lucrative, long-term deal.

4. Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics — Restricted

Terry Rozier may be the most over-qualified backup in the NBA. Fortunately, for other teams, anyway, the Boston Celtics will be strapped for cash next offseason.

Rozier was impressive in the stead of Kyrie Irving last season; he posted a triple-double in his first career start before leading the Celtics, along with teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, to within a game of the NBA Finals. He will return to the bench this season with Irving back, but assuming his aforementioned commitment holds true, Rozier may not ride with the bench mob for too long.

Rozier averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in his 19-game playoff showcase to the NBA. As a restricted free agent, he is free to sign an offer sheet wherever he pleases, and Boston may be hard pressed to match. At just 23 years old and going into his fourth NBA season, Rozier still has plenty of time to further improve his game and the potential to make a lucrative contract look like a steal in the long run.

5. Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks — Unrestricted

Eric Bledsoe took a bit of a hit to his value after a slightly down season, but anyone could be expected to take a step back after having to adjust to a whole new system with little time to prepare.

Bledsoe was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks soon after the start of last season. In 77 games with the Bucks, Bledsoe averaged 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. However, in his previous two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Bledsoe had averaged more than 20 points per game. There were also times where he looked disinterested or lacked effort, especially on the defensive end.

Still, Bledsoe is an uber-athletic guard and has yet to turn 29 years old. With a rebound expected for this season after an entire offseason in Milwaukee, Bledsoe should make for a more than intriguing option for teams looking for a veteran guard.

6. Goran Dragic, Miami HEAT — Player Option

The elder statesmen of this guard group, Goran Dragic has been a steady contributor over the past half-decade or so. With the Miami HEAT last season, Dragic made his first career All-Star appearance and finished the year with a stat line of 17.3 points, 4.1 assists and 4.8 assists per game.

Dragic will turn 33 next May, so it should be interesting to how much money teams are willing to offer him. While he hasn’t produced like some of the others on this list, Dragic is capable of comparable numbers and, this likely being his last chance to sign a big-money deal, could look for similar, if not slightly smaller offers.

So, even without Irving, the guard pool for next offseason looks strong, with a variety of different players available. Whether teams are looking for that last player to push them to contender status, a piece that they can build around or some combination of the two, they should be able to find that and more in these players and others who fill out the free agent group at the position next offseason.

Joe Harris’ fortunes and those of the Brooklyn Nets appear to be traveling on the same trajectory. Harris’ personality and approach embody the softer side of the Brooklyn Nets’ team persona: he is loyal, hardworking and humble. And while Jared Dudley and DeMarre Carroll provide veteran leadership and Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson offer personality, Harris provides a grounded approachability.

No one would blame him, though, if he develops a small ego. After all, Harris just received his formal introduction to the world, having won the NBA’s three-point championship last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s hard to deny that his star is rising.

And yet, Harris seems unaware that his status is rising.

“To be honest, I am solid in my role. That’s what I’m about,” Harris told Basketball Insiders before the Nets’ January 25 game against the Knicks. “I’m pretty realistic with where I view myself as a player. And I have the self-awareness to realize that I’m not a star player in this league by any means. I mean, I’m good in my role and I’m trying to take that to another level and be as complete as I can in my niche role that I have.”

While Harris’ comments could be misinterpreted as a humble brag, they shouldn’t be. He is simply a hard-working player who perhaps doesn’t quite realize everything he adds to his team. But let’s be clear, Harris’ presence absolutely improves the Nets’ play.

Harris boasts the second-best three-point percentage in the NBA (.471) through the first four months of the season; he trails only Victor Olapido and J.J. Reddick for top three-point percentage of all 48 players who have at least 10 “clutch” attempts from long-range and he’s ranked tenth in points per clutch possession (1.379).

He helps space the floor for teammates D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, who take advantage of his long-range acumen by attacking an often less congested pathway to the hoop — and drives account for 53.4 percent of the Nets’ points (third in the entire league).

It is no surprise then that the Nets are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

“At the end of the day we’re just trying to go play good basketball.” Harris said. “The wins are a byproduct of that. It’s about staying locked into this process and how it’s gotten us here regardless of who is on the court.”

Harris’ dedication to the team and its process is becoming more unique each year as players hop from franchise to franchise more frequently than ever before. While Harris only joined the Nets in 2016, he was immediately seen as a key player by the Nets’ leadership, albeit one on a minimum deal – according to Kyle Wagner of the Daily News, Coach Kenny Atkinson saw a lot of Kyler Korver in his game and GM Sean Marks wanted him to study Danny Green.

And while Harris’ 2018-19 stats reflect similar production to the career highs of both of Korver and Green (13.2 points per game with an effective field goal percentage of .622 for Harris versus 14.4 points with an eFG% of .518 for Korver and 11.7 points with an eFG% of .566 for Green), at only 27 years old, he should only continue to improve.

A lot has changed in the two and a half seasons since Harris signed a free agent deal with the Nets, but one thing that hasn’t changed is his character.

“We had various deals that were shorter for more (money),” Harris said. “And some were longer and roughly the same, but this is where I wanted to be and I’m happy it ended up working out.”

Harris ultimately signed a two-year deal for approximately $16 million, which can be viewed as both cashing in, given where he was only two years ago (out of the league), and betting on himself, considering the short-term nature of the contract and his relative youth.

And what’s more, Harris will probably go down as a value signing for the Nets considering his versatility. After all, he is not merely a one-dimensional shooter. In fact, he is actually shooting slightly better than 60 percent on 3.2 attempts per game from the restricted area – which is better than All-Star teammate D’Angelo Russell (53 percent on 2.8 attempts). Further, Harris shoots a fair amount of his three-point attempts above the break, which is to say that he does not rely heavily on the shorter corner threes – which tend to be a more efficient means of scoring (1.16 vs. 1.05 points per possession league-wide from 1998-2018) as they are typically a spot where specialist players lurk awaiting an opening look.

The question is, how much more can we expect to see from Harris in the future? If you ask him, he’d probably undersell you on his ceiling and allude to steady progress that ultimately looks similar to what he’s done recently. But the only thing similar about Harris’ career production is that it has steadily improved – and that’s partially due to his process-oriented approach.

“We talked about it in the midst of the losing streak,” Harris said. “What are you going to change, what are you going to do (when you’re in a slump)? Not that we were going to do the exact same thing, but we felt like we were very process oriented. We felt like we were right there. Our whole thing was about being deliberate and doing it as consistently as possible.”

Harris sees the validity in repeating what works. And he’s figured that out, partially with the help of his teammates. Harris clearly values veteran input and team chemistry.

“You look at our team right now and we have really good veteran presences with Jared and DeMarre and Ed (Davis),” Harris said. “That’s the voice from the leadership standpoint. I’m learning from them just like DLo is. And all the other guys in the locker room are. They’re the guiding presence of what it is to be a professional and they keep everything even keel. They don’t go too low when things are tough, and they don’t let us get too high when things are going well.”

Harris is clearly a little uncomfortable taking credit for his team’s success, and he shies away from the spotlight a bit. He seems to prefer anonymity. But Harris should probably get used to the attention he’s received this season because it will only increase as his profile continues to rise as we enter the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

“He’s not just a shooter,” Atkinson told NBA.com last April. “He’s worked on his drive game, he’s worked on his finishing game. I think he’s worked on his defense. So just a complete player who fits how we want to play. He’s one of our most competitive players. Not a surprise watching, from the first day we had him, how locked in he was, how hungry he was. On top of it, he’s a top, top-ranked human being.”

So expect to see more of Joe Harris this April and beyond, but don’t be surprised by his humility. It’s one aspect about him that won’t change.

Opportunity is everything in the NBA. Last season’s implementation of two-way contracts gave a lot more players potential opportunities in the league that may not have been previously available.

One player who has used two-way contracts to showcase himself and really prove that he belongs in the NBA is Danuel House Jr.

House actually began his career two years ago as an undrafted rookie with the Washington Wizards. However, he suffered a wrist injury only about a month into the 2016-17 season.

He was subsequently cut by the Wizards and used the summer to heal up before joining the Houston Rockets for training camp prior to the start of last season. He ended up being one of the final cuts in camp, and he joined the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

His strong play earned him a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns after only two months of G League play. This year, he rejoined the Vipers, only to earn another two-way contract with the Rockets. Having had some experience now with a two-way, it’s something that House sees as being beneficial.

“It’s got its good perks and its bad perks. But then the NBA is just trying to open more doors for more guys to be seen and have an opportunity,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I think it’s a good idea, it’s gonna work the kinks out so it can be more beneficial to the players. It’s still new and it’s still trending and working itself through the NBA.”

This season has been a bit of a whirlwind for House. He initially joined the Golden State Warriors for training camp, only to have them cut him before the start of the season. After spending about a month with the Vipers, the Rockets called him up, only to cut him and then eventually re-sign him to a two-way deal.

Due to injuries in the Rockets lineup, House saw meaningful minutes right away, even being placed in Houston’s starting lineup. He had some solid performances down the stretch of last season with the Suns, but this season he really looked the part of a legitimate NBA rotation player.

When a player signs a two-way deal, they are allotted a maximum of 45 days of NBA service, meaning that the rest of the time they must remain in the G League. If a player exceeds the 45-day limit, they must be sent back down to the G League unless they’re able to reach an agreement on a standard contract with the NBA team.

Because of the Rockets’ necessity of House in the rotation, he used up his NBA days last month. He and the Rockets were unable to agree on a contract, so he returned to the G League with the Vipers. While there haven’t been many updates as of late, he’s still hopeful that something can work out with the Rockets.

“Hopefully I can go back to Houston and compete for a title. There’s nothing like learning from James [Harden] and Chris Paul, Gerald Green, Eric Gordon and those guys,” House told Basketball Insiders. “And now with the additions of [Iman] Shumpert and Kenneth Faried, I’m just excited to hopefully get something done so I can be out there and competing with those guys.”

Initially, House wasn’t playing with the Vipers upon returning to the team. But he made his return to the court a few weeks ago on Feb 8. In that game, House shook off some initial rust and ended up having a solid performance including hitting the game-winning free-throws.

In the past, the G League was often times seen as a punishment for NBA players. The league didn’t have that great of a reputation, but over the past few years that image has started to change. The competition has gotten a lot stronger, and according to House, there are plenty of guys who are that close to making it to the NBA.

“The competition here is real. There’s a lot of dudes out here that got a lot of talent that they can showcase. They just want their one opportunity, their one chance that I was so fortunate and blessed with,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I know not to come out here and take it for granted, that’s why I’m playing hard and of course still trying to be a student of the game and learn.”

Recently, during a media availability session, Rockets star and perennial MVP candidate James Harden expressed hope that the Rockets and House could work something out. Harden told reporters that they all know how good House is and what he brings to the team.

In 25 games for the Rockets this season – including 12 starts – House put up nine points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 39 percent from the three-point line. He’s in the mold of a three-and-D type player, but he also moves well without the ball on cuts to the rim and can attack the basket as well.

“My role was to play defense and make the right read,” House told Basketball Insiders. “Shoot when I’m open, drive, attack the rack, and run the floor. Of course, defend and rebound and make good reads. It was easy.”

As it stands, the Rockets have 12 players on their roster, and a pair of two-way deals for House and Vincent Edwards. House is not eligible to rejoin the Rockets until the G League season concludes. Even then, he won’t be eligible to play in the playoffs as per two-way deal restrictions.

The Rockets will need to add at least two players to get up to the league-mandated 14 players on the roster. House would appear to be a good candidate for one of those spots, but that remains to be seen. But regardless of whether or not it works out in Houston, House is confident that he’s done enough to prove he belongs in the NBA.

“It gave me the utmost confidence, but my hard work, my passion, and my faith in the man upstairs gave me the ability. I asked him to guide me through the journey and he’s been taking care of me,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I’m so grateful that the opportunities and I used my ability to perform and do something I love to take care of my family.”

Basketball Insiders Deputy Editor Jesse Blancarte and Writer James Blancarte evaluate the L.A. teams after the trade deadline, break down the Eastern Conference contenders, and look for the Warriors’ biggest challengers.

Basketball Insiders Deputy Editor Jesse Blancarte and Writer James Blancarte evaluate the L.A. teams after the trade deadline, break down the Eastern Conference contenders, and look for the Warriors’ biggest challengers.